Camping versus Sniping

[ReCycled]

Over the years "camping" has been a much distained activity from most Quake players - myself included. The perception was to stay in one spot - probably hidden - was a cheap way of playing. Generally the approved method of playing in FFA was to spawn, grab a weapon and head to the largest open area of combat. Well lately on City1 I've found it fun to immediately grab a Rail and some other weapon and jump to the cave and start shooting from there. Cries of 'camper' soon follow. After thinking about this, I've concluded this is not camping - this is Sniping. There is a difference. In my opinion camping is only related to the spawnpad - whether you're nailed immediately on spawning or you emerge from a portal. But picking off opponents from another spot - particularly those who are planted in front of a spawnpad - is fair game. On other maps any experienced player can pick off a sniper (who's usually a beginner) with a quick flick shot. I think when the game was designed, sniping was an expected part of any combat on any map.

You'll never win a session by sniping, but it can be fun.

 

[Om3ga]

camping = free marshmellows

sniping > camping

[[BTF]Jehar]

I'm actually surprised to notice that camping is more of a problem in q2 than in any other qdm, in my experience. Of course, a lot of the q2 maps have some rather harsh incentives to camp, and this is rather unfourtunate. Myself, camping really detracts from the whole deathmatch experience, and this is worsened when the map seems to beckon you to camp. City1 has many such points where camping is simply the most obvious tactic.

So really, I believe it's more of a map design issue than real stupidity on the players part, though that is still a factor. When the best solution on a map is to camp, I would simply say play another map.

[[BTF]Defiant!]

Some opinions about camping in ffa:

"Camping" in plain sight, such as sitting on the ring on q2dm1 with the rail, in my opinion is acceptable.

Cycling items, such running a cyle through the map to always get both armors on q2dm1, in my opinion is acceptable.

Real camping, I would say, is sitting in the water on q2dm1 or sitting in the PS/Hyper room on city1.  This shows a lack of style and will earn you distain.  In a 1v1 or team-dm it is acceptable, in FFA I don't think so.

Spawn camping, is worst of all, because the other player has no chance and it takes no skill.  So it ruins the fun of the game in an unfair way.  Then again, it is a far cry from cheating (using an aimbot or wallhack), so in that measure it isn't as big of a deal.  I see it as unacceptable.

Def

[milhouse]

I dont mind any camping as long as its not spawn camping. 

[sp0z]

The whole 'camping' definition is slightly daft imo. The aim of any part of eSports is to kill the opposition, and chivalric honour doesn't really come into it. I kill the enemy in any way possible, I shoot them in the back, I 'team up' with beginners then murder them cruelly - ANYTHING to win! The only exception to this rule is spawn camping, which is unfair because it really doesn't give the enemy a chance in hell - they are dead before they can respond.

[Ax2Grind]

Spoz makes a great point: the idea is to get more frags than the opponent and anything that doesn't violate the rules of the game (i.e. cheating) is allowed.  This doesn't mean it's acceptable, condoned or admired, but camping, in the traditional sense, is just one thing Quake 2 wasn't designed to prohibit.  Other games have and we just need to learn to live with it if we continue to play this game.  I dealt with it long ago by lessening the chance of dying and increasing my camper-killing skills.  Know your camper, know the favorite tent-pitching spots, develope ways to burn them down or smoke them out and plan a route of carnage that takes you right into position to do it.  You'll get more frags and piss them off in the process.

By the way, sniping is defined as going after a specific target and, perhaps, hitting collateral targets in the process.  This means sniping can be done anywhere given the circumstances, but rarely in a place that gives your target(s) a better shot at you than you have at them.  Waiting for targets to show because you know they eventually will, regardless of where you wait (lower rocket launcher on The Edge, rocket launcher area in Tokay's Towers, rocket launcher area in The Pits... see a theme?), is camping.  The invulnerability cave in Outer Courts is a camper's paradise - it still shows less skill than those who don't camp and shows much less skill than those who evict you from your WRV.

[{TNP}Dukie]

I've always looked at sniping as finding a nice little spot to catch people as they run by or come around.  Come around here and I will take a pot shot at you.  On the Edge I used to like to hang around the corner where you can run down the hall and drop down to the rocket launcher.  I did not take out the spawns, I took out the people running around the corner or up the stairs.  I was not camping a spawn pad or a weapon, just a location.  But I would still get called a camper.  I don't see it that way.

If you are waiting for someone to spawn or teleport or grab a weapon so you can frag them, that is camping in my book.  I don't like it, I don't do it, but I think it is permissable by all the rules of the game.  Campers change my focus from getting all the frags I can (and trying to WIN) to focusing on eliminating the camper.  I see that as a lot of fun and I would miss it if all the campers quit camping.

So while I see camping (by my definition) as totally dishonorable.  Performed by heathens who had parents who never taught them any ethics while growing up and are complete and utter tools.  I still need them

The game would not be the same without them

[Om3ga]

I've always looked at sniping as finding a nice little spot to catch people as they run by or come around.

[campista]

Well, I've been camping since the beginning of quake.. it's just what I do.. most of the time. I like to mix it up though. Get's really boring sitting in one spot too long. for me anyway.  I play on the Railz server time to time, just for fun.. never camp there. It's all just a game to me, a way to unwind.. don't take it all too serious. 

But you guys who snipe from the cave on City1 tend to agrivate me just a tad!   

It's all good though!   

[Daemia]

I agree with Zoso.

[Luci]

i have always and will always consider camping a legit strategy.  As stated most campers suck, if they spawn camp, so what.  Now i just know where they are, my next trip there they are dead.

never got it really campers = free frags

[magical pig]

i was camping you dummy 

[[BTF]DeathStalker]

Yeah and you we're doing a Shit load of it last night on DM

[magical pig]

yes....